Overview
- Canberra is expected to contract with Boeing Australia on Tuesday to begin production, with an initial batch of six drones, according to local reports.
- An accelerated 2025 test program finished four months early, demonstrating networked operations, new sensor payloads, dual-aircraft control from an E-7A Wedgetail, and operations from RAAF Base Tindal beyond Woomera.
- A live air-to-air missile firing was reported by unnamed sources and has not been officially confirmed by Defence or Boeing.
- The program forms part of a wider plan to invest more than A$10 billion in drones over the next decade, including A$1.7 billion for Ghost Shark undersea vehicles.
- Boeing plans a Toowoomba production facility targeted for 2027, with the project supporting hundreds of skilled jobs and contributions from more than 35 Australian companies.